Method and Apparatus for Generating Three-Dimensional Patterned Soft Structures and Uses Thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018371389-A1
Application number	US-201816018226-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 26, 2018
Priority date	Jun 27, 2017
Publication date	Dec 27, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for generating a three-dimensional patterned soft structure, including the steps of providing a soft supporting substrate, providing a drop-on-demand system with a device for varying the velocity of the jetted droplets, providing a liquid ink, jetting the liquid ink towards the soft supporting substrate with the drop-on-demand system, controlling an injection depth of the liquid ink into the soft supporting substrate by varying a jetting velocity of the liquid ink; and depositing droplets of the liquid ink over a volume of the soft supporting substrate, thereby generating the three-dimensional patterned soft structure.

First claim

1 . A method for generating a three-dimensional patterned soft structure, by using a soft supporting substrate, a drop-on-demand system with a device for varying the velocity of jetted droplets, and a liquid ink, the method comprising:
jetting the liquid ink towards the soft supporting substrate with the drop-on-demand system; controlling an injection depth of the liquid ink into the soft supporting substrate by varying a jetting velocity of the liquid ink; and depositing droplets of the liquid ink over a volume of the soft supporting substrate to generate the three-dimensional patterned soft structure.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the soft supporting substrate behaves as a rigid body at low shear stress and flows as a viscous liquid at higher shear stresses.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the soft supporting substrate is a shear-thinning liquid.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the three-dimensional patterned soft structure is based on a digital three-dimensional model.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the liquid ink is capable of crosslinking.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the liquid ink includes alginate.

7 . The method of claim 1 wherein the soft supporting substrate is gelatin.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising seeding cells into said liquid ink.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the soft supporting substrate is a reservoir of a crosslinking component of said liquid ink.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the liquid ink droplets are deposited simultaneously.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the liquid ink droplets are deposited serially.

12 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
depositing further liquid inks distinct from the liquid ink over the soft supporting substrate.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the drop-on-demand system is light-actuated.

14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the drop-on-demand system comprises a transparent solid substrate, a thin solid-state light-absorbing film and a thin layer of the liquid ink.

15 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the light is simultaneously focused onto several spots.

16 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the drop-on-demand system includes an inkjet printer.

17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the inkjet printer comprises several printing heads able to simultaneously generate droplets of various velocities.

18 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
printing at least one of biological tissues or organs.

19 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the light is spatially shaped and the content of the liquid jet is controlled.

20 . A system for generating a three-dimensional patterned soft structure by using a soft supporting substrate, the system comprising:
a light source for generating a light beam; a device for controlling an intensity of the light beam of the light source to generate a controlled light beam; an ink jetting layer having a liquid layer of ink, a solid-state light absorbing film, and a transparent solid layer, the controlled light beam impinging on the solid-state light absorbing film to generate a droplet from the liquid layer of ink; a stage for moving the controlled light beam relative to the ink jetting layer; and a soft supporting substrate for receiving the droplet at different penetration depths as a function of the intensity of the light beam.

Assignees

• Ecole Polytechnique Fed Lausanne Epfl

Inventors

• Delrot Paul
• Hauser Sylvain Paul
• Krizek Jan
• Moser Christophe

Classifications

• C12M21/08 Primary

  for producing artificial tissue or for ex-vivo cultivation of tissue (prostheses A61F2/00, grafts A61L27/00) · CPC title

• C12N5/0062

  General methods for three-dimensional culture · CPC title

• B33Y30/00

  Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor · CPC title

• B33Y10/00 Primary

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B33Y70/00

  Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing · CPC title